Smoker&#39;s combination unit



May 12, 1942. w. J. GALLAGHER SMOKERS COMBINATION UNIT Filed March 11,1940 INVENTOR w/fer 0/. Gafiagber Patented May 12, 194? UNITED STATES 1Claim.

This invention relates to a smokers combination unit, and particularlyto such a unit wherein is featured extreme safety or assurance againstdamage that might ordinarily result from lighted cigarettes or cigarsbecoming displaced and falling onto surrounding objects or furnishings.

One of the primary objects of the invention to provide a device for 'theuse of smokers, and including means whereby a lighted cigarette or cigarmaybe supported in such manner as to remain lighted while held againstdisplacement, or, alternatively, held against displacement whilesubjected to a snuifing action for extinguishing the lighted endthereof.

Another object of the'invention is to provide an attachment for ashreceptacles, in the form of a novel type holder so designed as tosupport a cigarette or cigar in an upright position withoutextinguishing the lighted end thereof, or alternatively, to'support it'for extinguishment of the lighted end, asthe smoker may desire.

Another object of the invention is'tc provide an ash receptacle with anovel type of head for holding cigarettes or cigars in such manner as topreclude accidental displacement thereof, this being accomplished in theinterests of safety and convenience as well.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, yetpleasing in appearance and highly efiective and convenient in use.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means describedherein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device, with I one form of ashreceptacle applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view of the deviceillustrated in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view f a' holder which is shown in plan andin cross-section, by Figs. 1 and 2 respectively. I

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified type ash receptacle which isinterchangeable with that of Figs. 1 and 2. a

With reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be observed thatthetray 2 is by preference made oblong, so that its major axis will passthrough the beverage glass wells 3-3 .at opposite ends of the tray.Centrally of the tray, there is supported an ash receptacle 4 which inthe drawing is shown in the configuration of an oval, but which may beotherwise shaped to suit. The particular formation of the ash receptacleis immaterial to the invent-ion. However, in

of the tray. and I2 carry and an upwardly extending wall [1.

glass holder and an end of the ash those instances wherein the ashreceptacle is to cigar holder capable'of I support a cigarette or beingattached and detached, the upper periphery of the ash receptacleconveniently may be turned outwardly toform-a continuous flange or lip,as indicated at 5 of Fig. 2."

Preferably, though not of necessity, the tray 2 includes acircumferential upstanding bead or other barrier element 6, which servesto stiffen the tray, to enhance its appearance, and to .preclude liquidsor objects from rolling offthe tray;

A downwardly turned flange 1 may be'provided f exteriorly of the bead,for purposes of reinforcement and finish. As illustrated, each beverage.glass well 3 is pressed from the plane of the tray, and is s'urroundedbyan annular band .8 which may be fixed about the well in any suitablemanner. a

The ash receptacle 4 may be supported or suspended from its annularflange '5, within an It will be observedthat the sides 9, I0, -I l andI2 of' the tray are arranged in pairs 9-I'| and |ill2, the sides of eachpair converging toward the beverage glass holders at the opposite endsThe diagonally opposed sides H the package holders l3 and 14, which maybe of a proper size for holding cig-' arette packages and match packets,or decksof aperture 9 formed substantially centrally of the cards, as:the user may elect. In the embodiment shown, the package holders Hand[4 are identicaLand each comprises an upright wall I 5 depending from aside of the tray, an outwardly l turned portion [6 of a width,approximating the thickness of a cigarette package or card deck, Theparts an open which del 5 J6 and H cooperate to provide topped U-shapedchannel, all parts of pend below the mean plane of the tray. By 10-eating the package holders at diagonally opposed sides'of the tray, eachis groupedwith a beverage receptacle,

so that two persons using the device of the invention will have equalfacilities in the use of the device.

A support for the tray may be provided, this being in the form of asturdy metallic strap l8 lying along the major axis of the tray beneaththe wells3. The strap may include end portions l9 and 26 underlying thewells and fixed to: the under faces thereof, said 'end portions havingtermini 2! curled or turned downwardly beyond the end portions of thetray to provide handles or finger grips whereby the article may belifted with a pipe bowl cleaning cigar,

as a unit. The intermediate portion 22 of the strap may be bentdownwardly to provide clearance for the ash receptacle 4, and anysuitable means such as a bolt 23 may be provided for fixing theintermediate portion of the strap to a standard or other support 24 ofthe unit. Part 24 may be fixed to a pedestal base, not shown.

The foregoing completes the description of the general combination ofelements making up the unit of the invention. It is intended that ashreceptacles of various kinds and types, an example of which isillustrated by Fig. 4, may be substituted and interchanged with the ashreceptaoles of Figs. 1 and 2. As previously stated, the

contour of the ash receptacle may be varied if desired. 7 r a Withparticularreference to the ash receptacle 4, it will be noted that acup-shaped body is'preferred, having a bottom 25. In some instances,

it may be desirable to furnish the tray with a pipe 1 bowl scraper, aswell as with a holder for cigarettes or cigars. Typical of such ascraper, is the implement indicated generally by the character 26, whichmay constitute a sheet metal blank bent about a stud 21 which issuitably mounted in an upright position upon the bottom of thereceptacle in any suitable manner, such as by means of a reduced portion28 peened over as at 29 within the opening 3|] provided in the bottom ofthe receptacle. The portion 3| of the implement, which surrounds thestud 21, provides a' socket for the stud and is tightly fitted thereoverand fixed thereto, if desired. A part of the material which forms thesocket is extended upwardly above the stud, and comprises an elongatedupright having sides 32 and 33 arranged at an angle to one another inintersecting upright planes. The upper ends of these sides may be curvedas at 34 and thereby made convergent to form, a blunt pointed top forthe pipe bowl cleanv ing implement, this being most clearly shown inconnection with Fig. 4 wherein the pipe bowl cleaning implement isstructurally identical with that of Figs. 1 and 2. By inverting a pipebowl over the cleaning implement, and spinning or turning the pipe bowlin contact therewith, the bowl is effectively scraped and cleaned insuch manner that all of the contents will fall downwardly into the ashreceptacle, without being 'scatteredover the tray or other surroundingobjects. Of course, the ash receptacle 4 of Figs. 1 and 2 mightbereplaced with one not equipped implement, or it might be replaced withan ash receptacle of the generalcharacter illustrated by Fig. 4. The ashreceptacle of Fig. 4, as will be noted, carries a pipe bowl cleaningimplement and a pipe cradle, the latter being indicated by the character35. The cradle may rest in an elevated position slightly above theoutwardly turned flange 5 of receptacle 40, upon a suitable upright 36.The 'upright'36 and the stud 21 of the cleaning implement, may be fixedto the bottom of the ash receptacle in any suitable manner, for example,as indicated at 28-29 of Fig. 2.

It is desirable that the ash receptacle be equipped with means forholding cigarettes or cigars in such a; manner that the smoker may beassured that the lighted cigarette or cigar will not fall or beaccidentally dislodged from the holder, v

to; injure or deface surrounding furnishings or articles placed upon thetray. The holder of this invention is unique, in that it may be usedselectively to snuff the lighted end of a cigarette or orto support itin such condition that it for the'reception of a cigarette or cigar.

- by the basket or will remain lighted and will consume itself entirelyif left in the holder, the residual ashes dropping into the ashreceptacle so as not to clog the holder. Such holder is renderedself-cleaning due to its structural features about to be described, andmoreover, it will perform to snuff the lighted end of a cigarette orcigar placed improperly therein.

The holder for cigarettes or cigars includes a head consisting of a toppiece or plate 31, having opposite ends and opposite sides, within thelimits of which ends and sides the top piece is apertured to receive oneor more Each basket or cage has an upper annular bead wherecage issuspended from the top piece, and by'preference is fixed thereto. Thebead, indicated at 39, has depending therefrom a tubular portion 41 of.solidmetal, the tubular portion being of such length as to surround thelighted end of a cigarette or cigar improperly placed within the basketin a cocked position with its axis at an angle to the vertical axis ofthe basket. Such improperlyplaced cigarette or cigar will have itslighted end surrounded by the solid walled tubular portion 41, and thelatter will perform as a snuffer by reason of the fact that upwardpassage of air past the lighted end of the cigarette or cigar will beprecluded.

, The lower edge 42 of the tubular portion 4| has dependingtherefrom aseries of prongs 43, spaced apart sufficiently to furnish no substantialinterference with the passage of air upwardly from the basket and alongthe cigar or cigarette therein supported. The free terminal ends 44 ofthe prongs are turned inwardly toward one another so as to provide asupport for the lighted end of the cigar or cigarette, so that it maynot drop through the bottom ,of the basket. The ashes, however, may dropthrough the basket and into the ash receptacle freely as the cigaretteor cigar consumes itself within the basket. A cigar or cigarette soplaced in the basket will gravitate as it consumes itself, until thewhole thereof is deposited as ash upon the bottom of the receptacle 4.Neither the ashes'nor any part of the cigarette or cigar, will remainwithin the basket if the cigar or cigarette is permitted to restproperly within the basket in a lighted condition. At a point slightlyabove the terminal end of each prong, the prong may be slightly bulgedoutwardly as indicated at 45 so that the metal thereof will not closelycontact the glowing region of cigarette will not be extinguished. Theinturned prong ends, of course, will not be in direct contact with theglowing tobacco, but will be insulated therefrom to a degree by theaccumulated ashes at the extreme end of the cigar or cigarette.

When constructed for accommodating cigarettes, the basket or cage willhave an inside diameter slightly greater than that of the cigarette, andits length may approximate an inch or less, which is the length of acigarette butt to be discarded.

'As is best illustrated in Fig. 2, the side edges of the top plate 31are provided with extension in the form of aprons 415 which dependdownwardly in close proximity to the basket, and to approximately thelevel of the terminal ends of the prongs. These aprons preferably aresolid walls of metal, and each has an outward extension 41 and an upwardextension 48 for providing an baskets or cages 38 open-topped U-shapedchannel at each side of the top plate. The space between the apron 46and the upright extension 48 is less than the diameter of a cigarette,so that a cigarette plunged downwardly into said space will have itslighted end in contact with the solid walls 46 and 48, and lack of airat the lighted end will accordingly result in extinguishment. Theextension or connecting portion 4'! likewise should be a solid wall. Theupper edge 49 of each upward extension 48 may conveniently be outwardlyturned, as indicated, to facilitate guiding a cigarette into the snufierconstituted of the walls, 47 and 48.

It is of importance to note that the aprons 46 depend to approximatelythe lower terminal ends of the prongs, so that the prongs thereby areeffectively protected from injury or distortion during washing orcleaning of the holder. If the holder be built for accommodating cigarsrather than cigarettes, the diameter of the basket and channel of thesnufier portion should be proportioned accordingly. All parts of eachsnufier are located below the level of the top piece or plate 31.

To mount the holder upon an ash receptacle such as 4, the holder may beprovided with a pair of arms 50 depending from the opposite ends of thetop piece or plate 31, and having portions thereof turned outwardly anddownwardly to bridge or span the top of the ash receptacle. The freeends of the arms may be securely fixed to the ash receptacle, ifdesired, or as illustrated in the drawing, the free ends may be turnedas at 52 to provide a socket or crotch 53 to snugly receive theperipheral flange or lip 5 of an ash receptacle. An extension 54 of eacharm may be bent to conform with the shape of the ash receptacle beneathits lip or flange, and if desired, the extension may include a smallprotuberance or pimple 55 to engage Within a small dent or aperture 56formed in the material of the ash receptacle, at opposite sides thereof.Various other means and methods might be adopted for mounting the holdereither fixedly or detachably, to the ash receptacle 4. The clip meansindicated at 53, while convenient and satisfactory, is not a necessitybut is merely typical of any acceptable type of connection that may befurnished in the mounting of the holder.

' It is to be understood that various modifications and changes instructural details of the device may be made, within the scope of theappended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A smokers article comprising in combination an ash receptacle, and aholder for. cigarettes or cigars, said holder including an apertured topplate and mean for supporting the top plate above the receptacle, acigarette or cigar basket comprising a tubular upper portion having adepth sufficient to support a cigarette or cigar in a cooked obliqueposition at an angle to the axis of said tubular portion, the latterhaving a solid wall to contact and exclude upward passage of air pastthe lighted end of a cigarette or cigar so supported therein, thereby tohave a snuffing action for extinguishing the lighted end, meansconnecting the upper end of said tubular portion to the top plate withinthe aperture thereof, and a series of spaced prongs depending from thetubular portion and including inturned terminal ends projected towardthe tube axis for supporting in non-extinguishing relationship acigarette or cigar placed within the basket axially of the tubular upperportion, with its lighted end foremost.

WALTER J. GALLAGHER.

